RE:Make - Fallen Paradise
by Lonewolf06
Summary: Caleb Hawkins is a normal teenager living in Raccoon City when the pandemic of the T-Virus happened. His life was thrown into a disarray and found himself in the middle of an Umbrella Corporation conspiracy that will start the end of the world. Resident Evil Fanfic. Took place during and after RE: Apocalypse (Mix of the SD Perry and Anderson universe). Remake of RE:Fallen Paradise.
1. Prologue

Prologue

NEW YORK TIMES, October 1, 2002.

Grieving of a Nation.

Raccoon City Nuclear Power Plant experienced a massive meltdown on the morning of September 30th. The explosion completely destroyed the entire city and is now ground zero. Citizens around the area are now being evacuated for safety precautions due to possible radiation poisoning from the reactor. Multiple efforts from all around Mid-Western America are being dispatched to put out fires from the explosion. As of the moment, there is no accurate death toll for this massive tragedy.

The United Nations is now gathering its expansive resources to send help for survivors of this incident. Different intelligence agencies all around the globe are now gathering towards the explosion site to gather more information about this incident.

"This is a major disaster that should never be experienced in any other city of our great country. And we send our deepest condolences to the families of those whom we lost in this great tragedy. We will exert all our efforts to get to the bottom of this."

Meanwhile, the President of Umbrella Corporation, that is a major investor on Raccoon City itself had not yet released a statement. Their stocks have taken a huge blow within a day due to this incident. It's causing a minor panic among investors all around the world because Umbrella Pharmaceuticals are one of the leading companies of today.

NEW YORK TIMES, October 5, 2002.

Proven Hoax.

The alleged leaked video from Raccoon City is now a proven hoax as stated by Umbrella Corporation Spokesperson, Gabriel Gutierrez. This video was uploaded on the internet and was rumored to be nothing but a ruse. According to some sources, the video was taken by a Raccoon City local news reporter, Terri Morales. As of now, she is nowhere to be found and presumed dead due to the recent events. The video had shown a lot of gunfire, gore and violence that is not suitable for young audience. It is to be advised that parents should be vigilant as to what their children are watching.

The video is now taken down and the FBI is still tracking the responsible individuals who uploaded the hoax. However, they have not yet released a statement regarding this. As per advise, the video should not be taken as real and to report any leads that could pinpoint the perpetrators.

"This is not a time for a joke at the expense of others. The whole nation is mourning and the last thing we need is a hoax that directs away from the truth. There are no undead that are walking around and there are no threatening monsters that will come and get you. This is nothing but an effort to start a nation-wide panic. And as such, we will not fall to such pretenses."

NEW YORK TIMES, October 8, 2002.

Death Toll Uprising.

The death toll has now been estimated to be at least 100,000. Our era of today has not seen something as terrible as this. Cities all around the world are anxious as to how the meltdown occurred. However, no definite answers have not been given by the experts.

Applause should also be given to the thousands of volunteers out there who are spending their time to send help to those affected outside the blast zone. Multiple medical campsites have now been established for those who are injured. Multiple efforts are still being dispatched to look for people needing help from affected areas. Search parties are still being dispatched despite the event happening a week ago.

There are still several towns around the blast zone that were affected by the shockwaves of the blast. Thousands of families are displaced because of this incident and shelters are now being established as well.

"We will rise from this. We always have. And we will come out stronger."

There are also reports that this was an act of terrorism. The US President has now been alerted but no statement has yet been given. Please be advised to report any malicious activities that is seen right away.


	2. School Survival

September 29, 2002. That was when all hell broke loose.

The wind blew through the window and a chill rose up his spine as he looked away from the boring lesson of his teacher. His eyelids drooped down little by little upon his deep blue eyes. In a matter of seconds, his eyes were shut and fell off into a shallow dream. That small moment of bliss took him to a land of endless possibilities. Curiously, he watched a movie the night before and on his palm was a handgun. It was a standard 0.9mm Sig Sauer P320 issued to US Marines. Then before him was rotten human being that was about to devour his flesh.

"Mr. Hawkins!" The teacher called out. A slight grunt followed after from his dry throat. "Please pay attention regardless if you find my lesson boring or not. Otherwise, if I get bored myself, I'll have you in detention. You will have a lot of time and space to daydream there."

Mr. Carrow tried to be funny. But he failed miserably. Caleb looked at his classmates who wished they weren't within their teacher's sights. His case of stage fright had kicked in and his heart pounded in his ribcage.

Things soon settled down and Mr. Carrow proceeded back to his boring lesson. Caleb tried to find a way to keep himself from falling back to dream land. He gazed outside but failed to fight it off. In an instant, he was back to his own world inside his head.

Meanwhile at the school gates, a guard noticed something that headed up to him. It moved in a slow pace and made its way through the intense heat of the sun. He saw a man with a bloody shirt. The latter's eyes were white and smelled of rotten meat. It was putrid and appalling. He touched the end of his revolver to get his sense of security back.

The guard went from relaxed to suspicious in a split-second. It felt like a sick Halloween joke in the middle of the day. And it was a month too early. The creature got nearer and nearer. It wobbled sideway every few steps or so. That was when he spoke to his radio and alerted the other guards.

[We have a bogey here, over.] He stated. [I need an ambulance quick. The guy's bloody as hell. Call for one ASAP!]

He approached the moving creature with a bit more courage. "Sir, we've already called an ambulance. Please come in and let's get you bandaged up."

No response came. It walked as if nothing was heard.

The guard moved closer but the creature grabbed him. For a frail man, there was a bit of strength in its arms. It was quick and rabid. Before the guard realized it, the creature bit his forearm. Its yellow set of teeth sunk into his flesh.

The guard shrieked in pain and pushed his attacker back. But it was persistent and pressed forward. He then took out his Magnum Revolver out of its holster which was strapped onto his right leg. He aimed at one of its legs and pulled back the hammer.

"One more step and I would have to use deadly force!" The guard grunted. His wound on his forearm stung like heck and he was sweating all over. He made a few steps back to get a clear shot.

The thing made another step and that was the deciding point.

Caleb was snapped back to reality as his short, dirty blonde hair touched and made a tingly feeling on his right ear. He looked at the clock just above the black board stated 2:54 PM and then to the teacher. Mr. Carrow gave Caleb another mean look. But the kid gazed upon the blackboard and noticed that there were more notes on it. He took out one of his notebooks and his pen. Caleb began writing down his notes which would eventually get lost after a week.

_BANG!_

Everyone couldn't have mistaken that it was a gunshot. Their heads turned towards the windows in unison. Even Mr. Carrow went pale. "Calm down, everyone. I'm sure our security guards can handle that."

_BANG! BANG!_

Caleb heard the footsteps of teachers coming out of the faculty just a few rooms across the hallway. Everyone in class was fully awake. Some look worried, some turned white, and some looked frustrated. Caleb looked anxious. Something was wrong.

He knew it was from a Magnum Revolver. His uncle and old man taught him a lot about guns. There was no mistake. The guards had to use deadly force and that meant big trouble. Uncle Steve was an early retired US Navy Officer and his father was still serving in the US Marines in some other State. Since childhood, he had been trained by both of them how to properly shoot and defend himself through close-quarters combat.

Caleb was the last kid in school you would want to beat up.

The bell rang and it was their last class already. Everyone stood up and went to their next class in an orderly manner. Thankfully, his Science class was in the same room so he didn't have to move. But he considered it stupid that the classes went on despite the fact that there was trouble inside the school grounds.

He noticed that Mr. Carrow and Ms. Johnson, his science teacher, were talking outside the classroom. Caleb noted how Mr. Carrow left in a hurry towards the Clinic. That teacher served as a Medic in the US Army for a short stint. And that was Caleb knew that things were already getting out of hand.

Ms. Johnson greeted the class but the classroom was in deep silence. Caleb frowned at the stupidity of his teachers and school admin. Instead of getting them out safely, their class would go on for another 40mins.

It was halfway through the class when he had a sudden urge to pee. He had his permission from Ms. Johnson and left the classroom. He walked down the hallway that was eerily calm. But based from the faces of the students, most of them were eager to get out as soon as possible.

Caleb entered the comfort room and stayed inside. For some reason, his instinct kept telling him to run for it. He wasn't a rule breaker but he always followed his guts. It had always helped him in a tight spot.

Since it was just the ground floor, he could escape by the comfort room's window. He locked himself inside the cubicle and closed the toilet lid. He climbed up and got himself out quickly. Caleb scanned the area for teachers but thankfully, there was none.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream. Followed by another. Then another. He looked back at the building and saw the immediate chaos inside. The classrooms were in disarray and howls of pain can be heard. Caleb wanted to look what was going on. But his guts told him to find a place and hide as soon as possible.

_BANG!_

Caleb almost jumped at the sound of the gunfire. He inhaled deeply after that. The last thing he needed was to join the panicked students inside.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

More shots were heard. He wanted to go back and search for Cole, his best friend. But it was too risky. He knew that Cole was a smart-ass and wouldn't do anything too stupid. Caleb had to secure himself first before others. As his dad told him, he can't protect others if he cannot even protect himself.

"Shit." He muttered under his breathe and ran for it.

The farthest building was the tool shed behind the track and field oval. It was relatively safe and got inside. Caleb checked if anyone saw him but there was none. Once he got inside, he pushed the heaviest box he could find to jam the door. As far as he knew, there was only one exit and that was secured. Then the first thing he grabbed was a metal baseball bat to defend himself.

The waiting game was boring. Caleb checked his phone and saw that it had no reception at all. There was no way of communication from the outside. The only way to know was to go outside. He didn't even had a watch to tell the time. _What an idiot!_

_CLANG!_

Something fell from behind the boxes that made a loud noise. Caleb almost had a heart attack and raised his weapon. He was sure that he was going to hit the first thing he saw next! But a boy came out of the shadows with a baseball bat of his own.

"Jesus Christ!" Caleb exclaimed. "You scared the fuck out of me!"

"Sorry." The blonde boy said, almost in a whisper. "I was making sure you were not bitten. You looked fine so I decided to show myself."

Caleb just sighed and tried to catch his breath. The boy was shorter than he was and his voice was still high-pitched. He couldn't help himself but be sorry for the boy. Their school turned into a warzone with a snap of a finger.

"Angela, you can come out now." He said. Then a girl also came out of the shadows who looked like a ten-year old. Caleb hid his frustrated that was boiling up. He didn't want to babysit anyone in the middle of a crisis.

"So, who are you guys?" Caleb asked. "I'm Caleb. I'm from the 9th Grade."

"I'm Skyler, 7th Grade." The blonde-boy replied. His green eyes and freckles splattered on his nose made him look so innocent. "And this is Angela, a 5th Grader. We just happened to find each other here."

"You said that you were scared that I was bit." Caleb said. "Why would I get bitten?"

"I was on the way to the Clinic when I saw it happened. Remember the first gunshot we all heard this afternoon?" Skyler explained. "A guy bit the guard. And then the guard had no choice but to kill him. When the guard was brought to the Clinic, he looked terrible and died within an hour."

There was silence among the three of them.

"My dad can help us get out of here." Angela spoke up. Her eyes filled with hope and strength. Caleb tried not make a cynical remark. He didn't want to crush the girl's spirit when it was chaos outside their shed. "He works for Umbrella Corporation. I'm sure he can help us."

"Great." Caleb quipped. "I guess that should be a good plan. We can either stay here all night until help comes. Or we can try to find a way to Angela's dad."

"It's not that easy." Skyler whispered.

"What do you mean?" Caleb replied.

"The guard who died. He went back to life after a few minutes." The boy went pale after saying that. "Then he grabbed the nurse and bit her, too! It was scary! I had to run away then I bumped into Angela. We used to be club mates back then so I told her what I saw. She said that it would be best to get away as soon as we can. That's why we hid here."

"You're shitting me." Caleb muttered and shook his head. The story just couldn't be true. It couldn't be. Nature didn't work like that. "Don't fuck with me, Skyler. Dead people don't get back to life. Now is not a good time for a joke."

Silence fell and the three of them sat on the floor. Minutes passed by and they saw the light slowly fading out. It was getting late. They snapped back to reality when they heard a scream outside. It went from high pitch to a bloody gurgle.

"Shit. We need a plan." Caleb stated. "Let's take votes. Either we look for help outside or we wait for help. Since it's the three of us, one will be voted out. And I vote to wait."

"Let's get help." Angela and Skyler said simultaneously. Their looks determined. There was no way of contending with that.

Caleb just sighed deeply one last time and held his grip on the metal bat tighter. "This is not what I fucking planned for today."


	3. Search

The crimson sun was losing its light as it slowly moved downwards. There was barely any noise or movements except the sounds of flesh being eaten. Anyone would have had themselves stop in their tracks if they heard the sound of it. The aroma of death danced around the school grounds and haunted any survivors that were still in hiding.

"Have you checked the other boxes?" Caleb asked for the third time.

"Yes." Angela and Skyler answered back.

The only other weapon aside from their metal bats was a screwdriver that he can use to stab someone with. And it was not the most ideal weapon. Another would be a few baseballs that can be used as a projectile. But his skills weren't exactly the best. So, that was not a reliable option either.

He scanned the small screwdriver that was probably less than six inches long one more time and sighed. It was the closest lethal weapon they could find.

"I guess this will do. Both of you, stay behind me. No matter what happens. Got it?" The other two children nodded and they slowly pushed the boxes away from the door. "Are you ready?"

Again, the two other children nodded.

Caleb slowly opened the door. He didn't really have much leadership skills. As his old man stated, he would probably be best in espionage. But the scenario was probably the worst possible time to get a crash-course for being a leader. As the door swung open, it made a slight creaking sound that annoyed Caleb more than it should.

They looked around and saw a few students who already turned. They were feasting on the body of their gym teacher. Mr. Keller was a huge body builder. He loved to impose gruelling physical fitness sessions during their PE. And he also offered a lot of muscles that the creatures could keep chewing on.

Angela just whimpered in fear as Skyler looked away. Caleb's stomach made an awful churn at the bloody sight. The story was true after all. Dead people were coming back to life. And they were out to get the ones alive.

Caleb hushed the two of them and moved away slowly.

As planned, they snuck further away from the main school building that was located in the south of the school grounds. Their safest bet was the police department and it was just north west of Racoon High School. Caleb remembered a retractable part of their fence that students use to cut class. He never partook in those but he was glad that he knew about it.

Thankfully, no one was smart enough to use the school's secret fence. It camouflaged effectively and it was not noticeable that it had a weak link. There were woods on the other side of the fence and they had to get to the police station as soon as possible.

_BANG! BANG!_

More gunshots were heard from the distance. Bullets were probably being sprayed all over the place. The three of them just exchanged worried look. With a renewed determination, Caleb pulled back the fence so the two of them could go through.

But before Caleb could slip through, a weak set of footsteps was heard. He turned around to see a familiar face. Skyler and Angela looked back to see Caleb frozen on the ground. It was but a familiar face.

"Cole?" Caleb whispered. His throat went dry. Then his lips quivered at bloody sight in front of him. "No way."

Of all the people that he had to see, it had to be him.

His best friend walked in shambles towards him. Cole's once sandly blonde hair was covered in dirt and blood. It was greasy and Caleb could practically hear his best friend's annoyed voice whenever his hair would be in disarray.

With out-stretched arms, Cole tried to grab him. But Caleb was snapped back to reality and shoved him back with the tip of the baseball bat. His best friend still pressed forward and Caleb's knees couldn't help but shake in disbelief. He looked at him one more time to make sure there was still hope.

There was none. Not a glimmer of it could be present.

A pair of scissors had punctured through his carotid artery and blood was all over his favorite Marvel shirt. The facemask of Captain America on its design had lost its blue color. Someone must have tried to kill him in retaliation. But it didn't. A huge puncture wound like that on a carotid artery was surely fatal. And with careless movements like that, he should have at least passed out from blood loss.

Yet here he was, trying to grab him with the little of strength left in his frail body. His eyes were dead and unfocused. A soft groan from the throat came out and it made Caleb feel even worse. Cole attempted to grab him one more time. And with another strong shove, Caleb pushed back.

A few meters behind Cole were more of the same creatures shambling their way unto them. He looked back and saw Skyler and Angela waiting on the other side.

With a good full swing, Caleb struck one of Cole's knees that caused the latter to stumble down. A loud crack was heard and it sent chills down Caleb's spine. His best friend's body fell on the soil with a soft thud.

"I'm so sorry!" Caleb cried out. Tears start to fall from his face. He raised his weapon again to get ready. "I'm so fucking sorry. I don't mean it, Cole. I don't!"

But Cole was persistent. Despite having a shattered knee, he stood up again with a limp and kept moving towards Caleb. With all his mental strength, Caleb sniffed and gripped the baseball bat harder. He launched another full swing, striking Cole in the head this time. A loud crack came from the neck. It was a surekill.

Caleb knelt beside his best friend and plunged the tip of the screwdriver through his skull. Based on his observations, the creatures can only be taken down through the head. Lack of blood wasn't enough to kill them as seen in the carotid wound. Pain wasn't registering in their heads either. It still moved despite having a broken knee. That was his conclusion after those two things.

He took a deep breath and said a silent goodbye. Caleb stood up before the others could get even closer and went through the fence.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the Umbrella Biohazard Counter-measuring Service arrived. Three grown men who were fully equipped in neutralizing threats came out from the back of the van.

Multiple UBCS teams were being dispatched all over Raccoon City. Some had specific orders and some was just to gain the people's trust to show that Umbrella has a huge concern over the people. But in fact, they don't.

"As expected, all the survivors are moving towards the northern bridge. But according to Lt. Meyers, there won't be anyone who would be allowed to leave. It's just a cruel ruse." One of them said. Then with a slight chuckle, "but so what, we get paid for this. That's a done deal for me."

"Fuck off, you twat." Said the other in a thick British accent. It was the captain of that small team. "We're here to observe one of the latest B.O.W.s in action. The orders are to make sure no one else will intervene."

"I'm just playing rough, chief." One of them responded.

"Shut up." The captain grunted. Then someone sent him a private message through the private radio communciation. "Change of plans, boys. We're moving downtown."

"Copy that." The others agreed.

Caleb, Skyler and Angela walked through the woods. It was an abandoned city project and quite a huge patch of land was ridden with trees. Thankfully, they didn't see anyone else there. Nor those creatures. It was eerily silent. And it wasn't the kind of silence that Caleb liked. His guts were screaming at him to get ready.

But the stench of smell was all around them. Echoes of guns that were being fired could be heard every few seconds or so. Caleb knew they were already coming from automatic rifles. That would have meant a huge disaster.

Arriving at the edge of the lot, they were able to see the deserted streets. Dead bodies were scattered all over the place. Hundreds of meters away, they could see the top of the Racoon Police Department. It was the only source of help they could think of. They had lost track of the hours they stayed in the shed. And from the looks of it, people had started to look for a way out of the city.

The worst part is they were still stuck in the middle of it.

The roads were also riddled of cars and trucks that didn't have any alive people on them. But at least one out of a dozen car had a dead driver in it. Blood was splattered on some areas of the pavement, too. Angela couldn't help but cover her nose.

Caleb's eyes were still a bit swollen from crying. Killing off Cole wasn't the easiest thing to do. And he silently vowed to find out how those creatures came to be.

As they crossed the street, a low growl could be heard.

The trio slowly looked at where it was coming from. A couple of bloody dogs suddenly appeared on the streets. Caleb raised his bat and got ready. He signaled the other two to slowly move away. In his peripheral sight, one of the buildings had an open door.

It was their only shot.

The dogs prowled nearer and nearer. Fatal wounds could be seen all over its bodies and they were of the same creatures that they saw everywhere. There was no way those dogs would jump at them for love and affection.

"I'll distract them." Caleb offered. "Run for the door."

Every step counted. It wasn't a time for heroism. But if it was the very day he would die, then his pops would have been proud of his little heroism. He got to save two children from those flesh eating monsters. Caleb smiled at the thought of it despite the dangers before him.

Then the next second came. Everything went crucial. One of the dogs charged.

_It's just gonna be like baseball. _Caleb thought to himself. His griped braced for the incoming attack. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that panic would be his greatest enemy in a midst of a life and death scenario. That was his old man's advice.

The dog lunged at him. And with one powerful swing, it connected to its jaw. The lower part was ripped away from the head together with the rest of the body. But the other dog followed through. Caleb prepared for a back-handed swing. It wasn't going to be as powerful as the first one but it could still save their lives.

However, the dog wasn't aiming for him. It went for Skyler. Caleb still swung his bat as hard as it could. But it didn't hit the swift dog. It went in too low for his anticipation and ran right through him. The other two were just a few feet behind him but there was no way that Caleb would've made it. This creature of darkness was just too fast.

As soon as Skyler and Angela saw it, they ran for it. But they couldn't outrun it. There was just no way. The thing jumped at Skyler and immediately bit his shoulder. He fell helplessly on the pavement with a thud. His quick scream could be heard and Caleb knew it was surely going to get the attention of those other things in the area.

Caleb quickly recovered and ran towards the boy. He got himself ready and swung the metal bat with all his might. It struck the mid-part body of the dog and clobbered it away from Skyler. The swing was strong enough for it to let go of its victim and was jolted a few feet away.

It was all adrenaline.

Thankfully, Angela came back and helped Skyler back to his feet. The two went for the door as soon as they can. Then Caleb went for their attacker and did an over-hand swing on the dog's skull while it was still stunned, killing it with finality.

But when Caleb looked around, his fears were fulfilled. More of them started to show up and shambled their way towards their position. They were a lot slower and easier to maneuver against, but it was still dangerous to get surrounded by those things.

Ignoring this, Caleb ran up to Skyler and Angela.

"It's going to be okay." He whispered to Skyler. The boy just groaned in pain. "You'll live. It didn't hit any major arteries."

A blatant lie. When he looked into the blonde boy's eyes, it was devoid of hope. They both knew what it meant. Skyler saw what happened to the guard and anyone who gets bitten by one of those things will turn to them. One bite was all it takes.

As soon as they were near the door, another one of those dogs showed up, speeding towards them. It was rabid and angry. But Caleb tried to get its attention as much as he can.

"Go for it!" Caleb roared at his companions. "Close the door! I'll find a way in!"

The other two reluctantly obeyed and went inside. Caleb ran towards the first alleyway that he would see. It was a huge risk. But it was his only hope. Most of the smaller alleyways in Racoon City had metal gates them to prevent any thieves from accessing the backdoors of some buildings.

As soon as he turned around the corner, he saw one with an open gate. He ran for it as fast as he can, not even daring how close the dog was on his tail. Caleb forced himself to run faster and successfully got it. He pulled the gate close and shut the bolt immediately, locking himself in. The dog jumped and crashed on the metal gate with a cold thud.

It got even angrier and tried to crawl in but it was too big to get inside. Only the head could go through. And with one good swing, Caleb bashed its skull through the opening of the gate.

Caleb sighed. But a noise was quickly heard just behind him.

As soon as he turned, one of them tried to grabbed him. His reflexes kicked in and he struck it by the chin with the end of his metal bat. Then he did a very low follow-up swing that connected to its shin, causing it to stumble down.

It was then he realized that it was wearing a police officer uniform. And a gun was still inside its proper holster. He mounted the creature and quickly took the bloody screwdriver from his backpocket and drove it though the skull.

But Caleb made a mistake. He didn't see that there was another one of them in the alleyway. And it had four feet. It ran towards the boy as he grabbed the handgun just in time.

He took the safety off and as the creature jumped at him, he set his fingers on the trigger. He had no time to check if there was a bullet in the chamber. Caleb closed his eyes and silently prayed that the dead police officer still had at least one bullet left.

One bite was all it takes.

And one bullet could save his life.


	4. Recon

Three armed men strolled through small alleyways to avoid contact with the flesh-eating creatures on the main roads. Their breathing was controlled and precise. They were trained mercenaries for such situations. But the situation in Raccoon City was uncharted territory.

They were used to gunning down people left and right and get shot back. One shot to a vital organ should be enough to incapacitate a threat. Their mentors had always told them to aim for the body since it was the bigger target. Most people would aim for the head, but it would always be a battle who gets incapacitated first.

Not this time.

Headshots were the only way to kill those things. And the best way to get a headshot is to get near for a better aim. That was a problem, too. The last thing you would want was to approach these rotten threats. Because they can easily overwhelm anyone with sheer numbers.

It was a tricky game of cat and mouse. Sadly, they were the mouse this time.

[The Nemesis Project has been dispatched.] Their radios suddenly buzzed in. It was their control center. The trio nodded at each other and pressed forward, dealing with some of the creatures along the way. As silently as possible. [Proceed to your rendezvous point with Dr. Ashford.]

"Sgt. Lewis." One of them spoke. Driving his knife behind another creature's head. It groaned silently downwards, more lifeless than ever. "We still haven't been oriented with this Nemesis Project they kept talking about."

"Neither have I." Their leader replied. He checked the buildings around them. They were pretty close to the northern part of the city. "I've tried to investigate on it on my own but I don't have the rights to access that classified information. We just have to wait and see what it is."

A rumble of gunshots and series of screams were heard from the distance. They knew what it meant. Umbrella had finally used deadly force to push back the citizens away from the only available exit in the city. The three knew those instructions well. It was heartless. And it was pure madness, too.

All in the name of research.

"I never liked the plan." Sgt. Lewis admitted. "But orders are orders. We just have to wait and see how the management will deal with this."

The other two just fell silent. Wait and see.

Caleb slowly opened his eyes. There were no more threats. The rabid creature that jumped on him laid lifeless a couple of feet away from him. He slowly stood up and inspected the handgun in his hands. It was a standard Beretta 92FS semi-automatic that was issued to RPD officers. The boy checked the clip and saw the bullets left.

12 rounds. Better than nothing.

He dusted off the dust and grime on his black leather jacket. It was already below 20.0 C since it was already late September. The roads were getting colder and colder each day that passed by. And it's about to get even colder in the dead city.

The boy got back to the dead officer and took the remaining clip that was still full of bullets as well as an extra combat knife. He strapped the holster to his legs and took the small flashlight on the officer's belt. The guy was still fully equipped and wondered how he was infected after all that.

But Caleb knew why. The guy was probably hesitant to shoot a civilian. It was the same hesitation he had before taking down Cole. Turning around, he pressed forward into the small alleyway and checked for the doors.

Armed with a flashlight and a handgun, Caleb slowly waked through the alleyway, checking each back door that appeared. He was hesitant every time. There was no way of know what was on the other side. Then he would immediately check by his shoulder to make sure he was not being sneaked up on.

He remembered when he trained with his dad a year before.

_Make sure you always check your back. _The voice echoed in his head. _It would always be best if you have someone with you, you would have to think that a threat will arise any second. Be alert. And don't hesitate to use deadly force to protect yourself._

Being part of the military was a Hawkins family trademark. Even his grandfather served in the military during World War II and his stories would always leave him with awe. His aunt who was his dad's youngest sister even served as a field agent in the FBI.

Even he was planning to follow the footsteps of his dad. He was quite luck to marry a woman who was a doctor.

That would be the second goal after securing his survival. That was to look for his mother next. Her survival rate was pretty low given that all the injured will be dealt by hospitals.

Caleb bit his lip at the thought of his mom.

When that had hit him, his knees trembled. His breathing shortened. And he felt the pulse of his heart on his temples. Even his eyesight was throbbing and there was a dizzy spell trying to pry open his psyche.

But Caleb gathered his guts and still pressed forward. His parents weren't weak. And he was sure his mom would have found a way to get away. She always did. Even in the worst possible circumstances. Surely, she was worried for him yet she also trusted him enough to take care of himself.

The end of the alleyway split into two pathways. To the left was a clear alleyway. But to the right was a mind-boggling scene. A few of them was savoring the body of another dead individual. The bloody intestines of the person were being dragged outwards like an awful spaghetti meal.

"Holy fuck." He muttered under his breath.

Caleb felt his stomach churned at the slight of too much blood. Normally, he wasn't afraid of the crimson red liquid. But to see a person being dismembered from the inside out was a horrible sight.

And the imagery would be stuck in his head in the months to come.

He slowly veered to his left and walked away. At the end of the other alleyway was a dead end. But there was a closed gate on its side with a couple of the creatures banging on it. The gate was supposed to be pulled and the hostile couple was pushing on it. No wonder why they couldn't get through.

_BRATATATATAT!_

Caleb was alerted at the sound of an automatic rifle on the other side of the gate. It wasn't that loud. Just enough to echo through the silent alleyway. He gulped and looked behind him immediately. That sound was too brittle and the suddenness of it surely attracted the small horde of creatures. It was too late to backtrack and the only way out was through the small gate.

Even the couple that was banging on it got even more agitated.

It was a decision he needed to make. And he urged himself to make one fast. There were at least four hostiles behind him and two before him.

Caleb quickly aimed at the duo by the gate. He took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. A 9mm bullet flew directly at one of the napes that jolted its head forward from the impact, banging on the metal railing. The noise took the intention of the other one and faced him.

It was Mr. Carrow. He was supposed to fire again but stopped midway. The guy was too far from where Caleb last saw him. That was quite a weird thing to see. Caleb's teacher stepped forward with flailing arms. Half of his face was eaten and one of his cheeks was reduced to a gross open wound.

"Nothing personal, Mr. Carrow." Caleb fired again, dropping the teacher dead.

The boy moved forward and pull the door. He got inside and bolted it to make sure no one else can move behind him. It was the backside of a small restaurant a few streets away from the RPD. He moved inside carefully, making sure he was fully aware of his environment.

When he got to the kitchen, he peeked through the small window to see a fairly large dining room. Thankfully, there was no one there. And he also checked if he could at least scavenge anything on the cupboards.

Nothing. The restaurant was empty.

Caleb sighed and inspected the restaurant's kitchen and back offices. It looked closed for the day and not a single clue of a person was there. Nothing interesting nor helpful either. It was a good place to rest for the meantime.

But when he lowered his flashlight, he saw a few drops of blood on the floor. It wasn't many. Yet it could be traced coming from the backdoor, too. Someone wounded had been there. He raised his firearm and traced the trail towards the dining room.

He knelt on his knee to inspect it. The boy didn't need to touch it. It was fresh.

Caleb braced for any hostiles and slowly moved inwards the dining room. His eyes were focused on the red trail that led him to a corner. And he finally found where the blood was coming from. Pity was only in his eyes as he looked at the bloody figure.

"Skyler." Caleb groaned and approached him.

"Hey." The younger boy managed to croak. He was clearly drained of blood. No color was found on his gentle face. His smile was lifeless and the blood on his shirt even darkened. "Angela got away. She ran after the men outside to get help."

His lips were chapped and dry. And his breathing was too shallow. Caleb touched his forehead and felt the raging fever that was trying to helpless fight off whatever infection that got the boy.

"Why did you not come with her?" The older boy asked. A quick flash of anger in his voice. "You should have asked help from her and drag you along."

"I'm not stupid Caleb." He replied. "I'm done for."

"No. You're gonna be okay!" Caleb lied. His anger flared even further. He wanted to give this boy hope. But he wasn't the answer. Never was. "Help is just outside! We can do this."

Skyler slowly reached for Caleb's gun and slowly directed to his forehead. Then he closed his eyes. Tears were streaming down his grayish cheeks. It used to be rosy and full of life. Used to be.

"Do it." The blonde-boy pleaded. "I wanna see my mom and dad now. I'm sure they are waiting for me on the other side."

"No!" Caleb objected. The older boy gritted his teeth.

_BANG!_

He pulled back his gun and was startled at the gunshots outside.

_BRATATATATATAT!_

_BAM! BAM! BAM!_

It was a warzone out there. Caleb stood up and looked at dying boy by his feet. So helpless and feeble.

"Stay there." He commanded. But Skyler just looked at him with anger.

"Please. I don't wanna be like them." The younger boy cried.

"I won't let you. I promise." Caleb replied. "I'll go get help outside!"

The older boy left him by the corner and approached the main door. He went through the main entrance and scanned for hostiles. Nothing but rubbles and cars that were stranded in traffic.

Then he started scanning the place from afar. He heard some people shouting at the end of the road and it be followed by a series of gunshots. With the most that he can make out of them, there were wearing blue colors.

Police Officers. And they were the only source of help.

But the ground shook. His whole body the monstrous tremor. A huge black object dropped from above. And it was just behind him. Caleb's heart did a cartwheel in his chest and slowly turned around with his aim at the ready.

His bright blue eyes went wide with shock and fear.

What he aimed at was just blackness. Because the thing was way taller than him. His eyes hesitantly drifted upwards. Slowly. And filled with panic.

It was a 7-foot tall creature clad in black leather.

That thing had a tremendous build and could probably rip a person in half. Tentacles were protruding just by its shoulders. And its bald head was filled with random lumps with metal surgical staples rammed on its face. The lower head was just teeth and gums because its mouth was stretched apart. Its skin was brown and corroded. Even its nose was misplaced.

The monstrosity was barely human. Because the only human thing that was left on its face was the left eye that was white with cataracts.

Caleb's breath never left his lungs. He just looked at the creature before him.

On its huge left arm was a rocket launcher and on its right was a huge gun that seemed to be a Gatling gun. Its leather coating was recognizable as materials for Kevlar. The coat covered most of its body except the upper chest that displayed a mix of muscles and tentacles ripping the thick skin from the inside.

A majestic growl was heard. And all the hair on Caleb's body stood up.

"STAAAAAARSSSS!"


	5. Escape

Lt. Louis Denvers strolled through the white hallway. He was stationed inside one of Umbrella's Hives that was somewhere in Northeastern America. It was quite far from the chaos that went on in Raccoon City. Safe and sound. He thankful that he was not sent out like the others.

The man was to live another day.

He stopped by the door in order to identify himself so that he may be able to deliver to the one heading the operation. With a quick swoosh, the white doors slipped open. The room was dark except for the big screens that gave a greenish glow to the dim room.

"Permission to speak, sir." He started.

There was a huge chair that had its back on him. The man behind it was in a middle of a videocall meeting with the other heads of the Hives. They have been discussing the necessary repercussions to contorl the outbreak that happened in the doomed city according to their initial plan.

With a tap on the virtual keyboard, it shut off. The man turned around and faced the former US Marine that was recently hired by Umbrella to be part of the UBCS. All of their mercenaries were trained to be silent about anything confidential. Any breach of such information automatically equates to eviction from the program.

Permanently.

"Bring me some news." The man in white robes commanded. His icy voice pierced through his eardrums like gave a weird tingle all over. "I assumed this is about the progress in Raccoon City?"

"The N-2 missile is ready." Lt. Denvers announced. "All controls have now been given to you, Dr. Isaacs. The launch in within yours to command."

"Good." The scientist smiled. He spun around and opened his console again. Then he pulled the command and playfully caress the button that would start the launch sequence for the missile. "You are dismissed."

Lt. Denvers pressed the button the close the door and left silently.

Dr. Isaacs slouched back in his chair. He was well aware that he was but a clone of the original Dr. Alexander Isaacs, the co-founder of the Umbrella Corporation. The plan to cleanse the world has begun. His real body were already in stasis together with the Umbrella High Command somewhere else that was safe.

His console rang and another conference started with one of Umbrella's European branch.

"What's the progress of the S-Type Toxin?" Dr. Isaacs asked the man. His accent tried to sound British but failed. The video conference was initiated by Dr. Julius Stanford. He was young aspiring virologist like Isaacs who found a possible way to start a human-based Bio-Organic Weapon.

Their Tyrant Project was a huge success but its limited intellectual abilities were still a huge trade-off for its durability and strength.

"The S-Type Toxin has successfully bonded with the T-Virus. As far as it goes, the new strand of Tyrant Virus was giving psychotropic effects to some of the test subjects but still failing to bond with the host. I have reserved a number of fresh test subjects in our Hive at Nevada and I'm in a flight on the way there." He gleefully announced. Dr. Stanford was a very smart man and his hypotheses were always successful and spot-on for his experiments. "It would be best if I could have a few test subjects that are in the age range of 12 to 14 years old. Based on an early research with the Tyrant Project, the Beta-Hetero Nonserotonin is a viable catalyst to strengthen the bond between the T-Virus, S-Type Toxin and the host."

"We have a limited number of test subjects in that age range, Dr. Stanford." The founder replied. But the other scientist had already sent impressive amounts of data from his experiments in their Germany Hive. Isaac's eyebrows raised. Surprised at the success rate. "That age group is an asset because of the special neurotransmitter. The earlier version of our B.O.W.s already has a good price in the market. A lot of military powers all over the globe are already demanding it."

"That is true." Dr. Stanford admitted. He scratched his thin goatee with a serious but genuine face. "But with the success rate that we have, I will only be needing half. We only we need one successful subject. And then all we need is to clone it. This type of mutual bonding between the three factors was able to re-arrange the DNA of the host to produce psychotropic-like effects. B.O.W.s that are more intelligent would sell at a higher price."

"Cutting our production rate in half is too much of a sacrifice with something that has no assurance." Dr. Isaacs retorted. "It is a sacrifice that we cannot take. Our orchestrated apocalypse have already started. Wars will be fought all over the place and the price will shoot up."

Then Dr. Stanford sent another set of images that popped up on his screen. They were photos of teenagers who were encased in one huge aquarium. All of their stats and brain activities were shown. Dr. Isaac's eyes widened in disbelief and awe. His mouth started to open in order to object. But he was left speechless.

The results were phenomenal. All under the humble leadership of Julius Stanford.

"There is assurance." The British scientist smiled. "These were the first batch of the experiments. Only half died from genetic incompatibility. As of now, they are catatonic but that's why I want to make the next step of this project. Our resources may be scarce so consider that this is a gold mine for all of us. It's a good shot, Dr. Isaacs."

"You have surprised me yet again, Dr. Stanford." A warm smile appeared on his face. It was pride and nothing else. "I will put this into conisderation. Then I'll be flying to meet you next week in Nevada."

"Looking forward for that, Dr. Isaacs." With that, the conference ended.

The Umbrella founder found his hand drifting to the launch pad again. Stroking it with earnest. An itching feeling was at the tip of his fingers. It was only a matter of time, a couple of hours at most, before Raccoon City is turned into dust.

A huge crater. Thousands of people dead.

Caleb almost pissed on himself.

The huge monstrosity looked at him as he aimed quickly at the head. But he never was able to squeeze the trigger. The staredown felt like a whole day but neither of them moved. There was no way to kill the monster.

Fight or flight. Now or never. His heart screamed inside his chest. Even his vision pulsed from the rush of adrenaline. For some reason, he knew it would be stupid to fire his gun at the thing. His knees weakened. And his hands quivered. If he shoots it, the gun with be jolted out of his hand from the recoil. His grip was that weak at that very moment.

But the monster made the first move.

Caleb stepped back and anticipated any attack. His instincts told him to guard himself from a punch or a jab. But nothing came. His huge enemy walked towards the men from the distance. The thing completely ignored him.

The boy fell onto the ground. He almost collapsed from the pressure. His breathing was in complete disarray. All that he felt was helplessness. In the face of an unfathomable danger, all his defenses collapsed. No rational thinking went inside his head. And any ability to make a reasonable move was thrown down the drain.

He pushed himself from the ground and wobbled back to a corner where he could sit back and breath. Caleb slowly peered from the distance and saw the monster walking away as if he was cute pebble on the road.

"What the fuck was that?" He whispered to himself.

After a couple of minutes, he gathered all back his willpower and stood up. He still had Skyler to worry about. And the direction of the shouting men was no longer an option. That thing already ignored him once. A second time might not be so lucky.

Caleb got back inside to see Skyler standing again with a hand on the wall, supporting him. "Come on. We still need to look for help. This place is no longer safe."

But when Skyler made the first step, Caleb felt the unmistakable chill.

He walked the same way as Cole did. Slow and staggering. Eyes void of life. Nothing left but cataracts due to the high fever that tried to fight off the virus in the system. But no antibodies would be strong enough against this disease.

None.

"No." Caleb croaked. His handgun automatically raised in defense. "It can't be."

_Please. I don't wanna be like them. _The boy's voice rang in his head once again.

Then he heard own his voice, too. _I won't let you. I promise._

It was so sickening. A promise that didn't even take an hour to break.

Fuck. What a fucking friend. Killing his best friend in cold blood. Then allowing this innocent kid to die because he was too fucking stupid to think ahead. A worthless hero. His father would be ashamed of him.

Skyler shambled his way towards Caleb. And it was pure mockery of his promise. His hand shook and his cheeks flared. Nothing but anger flared within him. He steadied his aim. There was no dignity left.

Then he pulled the trigger.

_I promise. I will fucking avenge all of you. _

"According to our intel, the Nemesis Project passed by this way." The captain instructed his three-man cell. They were supposed to be more than three but some were just too careless. Bullets were fired. And most of them were wasted. "It shouldn't be too far."

[We have new orders.] Their radio chimed in. The high-pitched child-like voice was always irritating to hear. Of course, it was no real person. It was simply an AI developed by some of the programmers of Umbrella. The called it the Red Queen. [If you have the opportunity to apprehend any minors under the age of 15, please do so. The Umbrella High Command just released this assignment to all UBCS operatives in the field a few minutes ago.]

"Fuck." The one behind him groaned. Then he harshly stomped the pavement in frustration. "Did they just told us to babysit some lost teenagers?"

"Quiet." The captain objected. "We're not paid to question things. Get your ass moving."

But the man just groaned again silently at his pragmatic leader.

_BANG!_

The gunshot was nearby. All three of them were alerted. The captain made the signal to look for the source. People were no longer supposed to be at that part of the town. Any stray person will be at the hands of the captain should they be needed to be put down.

Their leader scanned the area. He was sure it came from the restaurant. Then he signaled his teammates that he will take lead. The other will follow through and the last member will check their six.

With the final signal, the captain and his back-up rushed inside.

Yet all they found was a teenager who turned around with a gun aimed at the ready. A dead body laid lifeless a couple of feet away from him. It also looked like another kid. An unspoken question flew by their heads. The boy's eyes were a bit sore and tears were on his face. Their suspicions were easily confirmed.

Bingo. A lost teenager.

He was wearing a black leather jacket on top of an orange shirt. A gun holster was strapped to his thigh and in his blue skinny jeans. His blue sneakers were dirtied with grime. And the way he held his gun crossing with the arm holding a flashlight, they knew the kid was trained properly.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" The captain approached. His hands were raised up to show he was not a hostile. And the boy seemed to easily take the bait. "I'm Sgt. Sandro. We're here to help you get out of here."

"I'm fine. The name is Caleb." The boy replied. His voice already had that signed of deepening. It was definitely someone in his teenage years. "You don't look like from Raccoon Police Department."

"We're not." Sgt. Sandro confirmed. His gaze was not wavering away from the young lad. "We're from Umbrella Biohazard Counter-measuring Service. The company sent to help the city's police force evacuate. We were separate from the rest and on our way to regroup."

"Can I come with you?" The boy pleaded. His lower his gun, and the rest of his defenses. "I was supposed to look help in the Police Department building. But it seems everywhere has already been overrun by those things. Please, help me.

"You didn't have to ask." The captain said. "We're here to secure your safety."

With a good swing, the butt of the rifle hit the boy in the face. The kid stumbled back on the ground. A copper-ish taste was on the back of his throat. He was dazed and confused at the sudden surprise attack of his company.

His eyes were but a blur. Sgt. Sandro approached him with a hesitant look.

"Nothing personal, kiddo." He said with a gruff voice.

And that was the last thing the boy saw.

Blackness.


	6. Consequences

NEW YORK TIMES, October 15, 2002.

A Call to Alliance.

It has been confirmed that the United Nations had received some intel that the incident in Raccoon City was an act of terrorism. They have sent out messages multiple times for the public to remain calm at all times. However, riots all over the globe are happening due to the outcry that no one is safe around nuclear powerplants due to the devastating disaster that happened in the mentioned city.

Raccoon City is now ground zero and no further investigations have generated reports that could conclude the real reason why there was a meltdown in the first place. As of now, thousands of conspiracy theories are sparking on the web and increased the paranoia of some citizens.

"We will get to the bottom of this. A new form of terrorism should not be tolerated. The goal of all the nations of the world is to bring forth peace and unity towards each other. It is our duty to make sure that the citizens of our respective nations are safe from any aforementioned disasters. Failure is not an option."

High ranking officials from the CIA were also being sent back and forth to London but the details why were not disclosed. Based on our sources, they are taking the lead in narrowing down the list of certain government officials around the world that are possibly involved in the Raccoon City incident.

NEW YORK TIMES, October 21, 2002.

The Calm in Mid-Western America.

Amidst the increasing global-chaos, panic in Mid-Western America had started to die down almost a month after the incident. However, it is not the same case for the political arenas all over the globe. Debates are still on-going day after day in the Senate to further laws that could prevent the same disaster from happening in the future.

"This is just a political ruse to further their propagandas. But the victims themselves who are hurting have started to move on. It is inhumane to use such devastating disaster to encourage selfish motives amonst ourselves. This should not be the case. Our aim should always be humanitarian and to help our fellow citizens to recover from what they have lost."

Dr. Alexander Isaacs have been called by the United Nations to be questioned since Umbrella Corporation owned a huge share in the Raccoon Nuclear Powerplant. But despite the accusations against him, no evidence had turned up that Umbrella had anything to do with the inident. Despite this, the multi-billion dollar company is still leading in assisting the evacuees in relocating them in different part of the states.

Based on his speech last week, they have donated $300 Million to housing programs for those who were affected. The public had applauded this and gave further support for Umbrella Corporation.

"Perhaps it's due to the high level of stress that was present during the Raccoon City incident." Dr. Stanford suggested. His eyes scanned the charts again that were laid before the table. It enticed him deeply that another random factor suddenly popped up during the procedure. Very unsual. But a good kind of unsual. It even brought closer to its completion. "Whatever this new catalyst is, we have to find a way to reproduce it. We need more time to make an observation."

"This is just a prototype." Dr. Isaacs confirmed. "It was designed to be the basis of future projects under this new series. After checking the compiled information you have submitted, this lineage is very promising. But it's still too early for us to use this as a leverage over our investors."

"Yes, it's still too early." Dr. Stanford agree. "I'll re-run some tests and I'll send them over to you. We'll be making more of these soon. But you know the costs. I do hope the board will approve for the requests I asked in terms of finances. This project isn't really cheap."

"I can't promise anything yet, Julius." The man replied. His face sullen and serious. It was calculating the response on the person he was talking to on his screen. "It is too much of a risk with all the other plans at play."

"That's very understandable." The British scientist replied solemnly. But then he was also hatching other plans in his head. He would have to take drastic measures to hasten the development of his first major project in Umbrella. The executives would be thrilled to hear news of a very controllable Bioweapon. "I just want to produce a formidable prototype sooner, Dr. Isaacs. All in the name of research."

"Then I expect results from the current prototypes that we have." The founder of Umbrella replied. With that, the console turned itself off. The video conference ended and Dr. Stanford stared silently into the blank screen.

After the short meeting, the scientist typed some commands on the console to check the huge tanks that had the subjects inside them. There were a lot more inside the huge room but most of them were already empty. Out of the 44 subjects that were introduced to both the S-Type Toxin and the T-Virus, only 19 remained. And one of them was a peculiar case because he was the eldest.

It was a fourteen year old teenager from Raccoon City.

After relaying to the UBCS that there is a high priority of capturing wandering survivors in that age group, only eight was successfully turned over to them. Dr. Stanford was reluctant at first to take in one of the subjects because he was past beyond the age that the specific neurotransmitter was being produced. But he still had to double check and he was proven wrong. Thankfully, he did. The young teenager was still producing them.

And out of the 19 survivors of the project's Phase 1, he reacted to stimulants that the others did not. It was a peculiar singularity that they had to separate him for further observations. The development on his body was faster than the other subjects. His muscles alone easily improved to the point of being comparable to an Olympic swimmer without being too buff. The density level was high and the body fat percentage close to zero.

Dr. Stanford had to review the charts over and over again to make sure that he did not miss any anomaly that contributed to the unprecedented success of this project. As his mentor mentioned, it was a beta phase. Most of the subjects were expected to die. It was simply not supposed to be successful this early.

He rubbed his temples, trying to figure out and connect the missing dots. He had listed down dozens of hypotheses but he simply did not have the resources to test them all out. As much as he had to admit it, a rare and specific mutation in the genome was the only answer.

And he knew it's just a matter of time before he could find it.

Caleb Hawkins finally opened his eyes. No strength could be mustered. It felt like a ton of bricks were sitting on his chest. His breathing was deep and stable. But his arms felt like jelly. The last thing he remembered was failing Skyler.

Then he shot the blonde boy. He also remembered that he had to drive that stupid screwdriver through Cole's rotting head. Despair washed over him as he forced his eyes to open slowly. All he could see was a huge white room. He was wearing white scrubs and when we slowly looked to his sides, IV drips were attached to both his arms.

The boy even felt pressure on his groin area and was probably a catheter. As he took deeper breathes, strength started to move on his arms. His fingers finally started to move and he could see from his peripherals that his heart rate was slowly rising from his activity. The apparatus was still making the odd beeping sound that just irritated him further.

After what felt like hours, his body finally adjusted and he could move more of his upper body. He turned his head to check the room. No one was with him. The room was pure white and the bright lights were making him nauseous. With a massive amound of effort, he forced himself to get out of the bed. Based on his surroundings, it looked like he was inside some kind of hospital.

When he checked the apparatus again, he saw that small red and white logo of the famous Umbrella Corporation. It was an eerie feeling. And it was something that stirred some kind of hovering insect inside his head.

Then he remembered it. Umbrella Biohazard Counter-measuring Services. A huge monster clad in leather armor. Three men pointing their guns at him right after shooting down Skyler. And the butt of the rifle that knocked him unconscious.

Caleb immediately pushed himself away from the bed. But before he could make another step, he fell down on the cold floor. The IV on his left arm was ripped from his veins. He grunted from the sudden pull but thankfully the needle didn't get stuck inside him. That would have been a bigger problem. Then he ripped the other IV on his other arm and pushed himself upwards from the ground. Slowly, he took out the catheter from his genitals.

It was the most awful feeling.

He slowly reached for the wall for support as blood slowly seeped through the wounds on his hands. Little by little, he paved his way through the door. And with every step, strength crawls back into his body. By the time he was at the door, Caleb no longer needed the wall's support.

Yet an armed man in an UBCS uniform stormed into the white room. A handgun was clearly raised and threat loomed over him. In the boy's deep blue eyes, everything went slow motion. Instinct suddenly kicked in. Since he was at the side of the door, it gave him the advantage of being close enough to strike.

As soon as the handgun was within range, he took a hold of it with viper-like grip. His hands were quick and the force on his fingers danced so freely. Then he struck upwards at the man's elbow that loosened his grip on his weapon. But another guard was following through behind the first guy.

So right after his upward strike, he gave a huge amount of his energy to deliver a nasty back-handed fist towards the torso. Caleb felt the man's ribs cracking underneath the kevlar vest. And that surprised him the most. Strikes from that short of a distance will never have the power to break a person's bones. But it was too late. The first guy jolted away from Caleb as he grabbed the handgun with his left hand. The second guy was thrown away with the guy towards the wall opposite of the door, stunning them both.

Before they could recover, Caleb quickly closed in the distance and hit the man's helment with the end of the handgun. It created a crunching sound and a crack was clearly seen on the man's helmet after. He readied his gun and quickly aimed around him but no other people were present. The two unfortunate guards were the first to respond.

Caleb released the clip and quickly counted the rounds inside. He quickly cocked the gun to make sure a bullet was loaded in the chamber. As he became more assure of his safety, he knelt beside the other guy and disassembled the handgun he held, a tactic his pops taught him a year before. The boy took out the clip, then another couple more from the guards' holsters and took the second guy's handgun.

As he stood up and turned around with his aim at the ready, a woman in red appeared aimed with a gun right at him. She looked like a mix of American and Asian with short and elegant dark hair. The woman was wearing a red blouse that extend down to her upper thigh and a wearable holster could be seen under her left arm.

An awkward situation. He wearing nothing but white scrubs with bloody wrists. A couple of clips slipped through the waistband and a couple of bare feet that was giving chills to his legs.

"Looks like you aren't part of Umbrella, little boy." She said with a smug. Her feet had elegantly made steps towards him. "I didn't know that they have been deranged so much that they have started to take in younger…_participants_."

"No." Caleb quipped. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Let's just say that this Corporation is on top of my client's naughty list." She replied with a haughty tone. The woman walked closer and closer and finally dropped the aim. "I do am curious what's cute little darling boy doing here inside an Umbrella facility."

"I can't even remember how I got here." Caleb sneered. But he held his aim yet the woman wasn't even fazed. Not one bit. Her smug smile was filled with a good amount of sexual innuendo. "And what does it have to do with Umbrella? I need to get out of here and find my parents. Can you help me get out?"

"It's gonna be a huge shame if a cute little thing like you is left alone here filled with all the monsters I could think of. Perhaps, they are curious what a young and tender meat would taste like." She commented, shaking her head with an amused face. "You're pretty clueless with what they did to you, huh?"

But Caleb raised his aim higher and went for her head. The boy took the safety off and rested his finger on the trigger. He made sure to make his voice firmer. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Then the woman made the first move. She struck the boy sidewards with the gun swinging to the side. Caleb failed to pull the trigger in time. The woman in red was way faster than he had anticipated. But he still had his gun in his hand. Still, the woman was quicker. A series of jabs were launched. Caleb defended himself. The next thing he saw was he was locked in a grappling move and he was being hurled to the ground. In a snap, he remembered the counter-move to that arm-lock and allowed her to pull him downwards. He safely rolled on the floor and stopped her. With a sheer power of brute force, he managed to drag her upwards, breaking the arm-lock.

Caleb pushed her against the wall with his handgun pressed against her neck. His finger was on the trigger, ready to fire. But he felt the cold sensation of a gun pressed against his stomach. It's barrel was threatening. The thought of getting the upper-hand collapsed so quickly. She kne what she was doing because the woman was ready to fire, too.

It was a complete stalemate.

"For someone who's from kindergarten, you're good." She smiled. Her tone was even happy. And it just made Caleb more pissed. "Since I'm already done with what I needed to do here, I guess I could have you tag along."

Caleb released her and they stood face to face. She looked around her mid-twenties but based on her moves, she was very experienced.

"My name is Caleb by the way." The boy introduced himself.

"Call me Ada." She replied as she walked away. "Ada Wong."


End file.
